...can't believe I this show has been on Archive since last August and I just discovered it now!

The second set really did it for me: Jump Off >>>
Juggernaut >>> Jump Off >>> Did Fatt >>> Sid >>>
Flower Sermon. I heard some serious funk and some serious raging in the Jump > Jugg > Jump sequence.

Great quality recording as well--solid find all around.

Word. Summerdance= wordness. Lotus at Summerdance= Uber wordness.

the first set will get you jumping, and then set 2 explodes. excellent sounding recording and great sets.

the other detailed descriptions below are dead on.

This is so far the top performance of 2008 for me. Although I generally love Lotus performances and rate 5 stars...in retrospect this would either have to be a 6 or the others bumped to 4. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but Shaft is pretty much known for his pessimism around the Lotus camp. The show is #1 for me for these reasons: complexity of setlist, flawless seguing, range of genres covered, overall vibe, length, quality of recording, and the personal experience of being there. I'll give my track run down as well.

Set 1:
The opener Jam > Nematode was deliberately subtle and really got the crowd eager to see what was in store...Nematode is a refreshing jazzy version with a high powered jam finish. Reich has a beautiful and nourishing lead in. Chuck stands out hard on percussion during this number and it has a particularly dreamy/psychedelic jam. There is a very smooth and light segue into Slow Cooking which features a rare dark Lotus jam. Luke uses a really tight organ synth effect and the sound makes me picture a factory working on stage. Moonset set the place rocking and was implemented with full control. The Living Storm gets funky as hell with Jesse struttin out crisp baselines. It develops into an all out dance party with Mike leading with a soulful jam on guitar. The Mikesnack is by far the dirtiest and funkiest version I have ever heard. Mike gets bluesy as hell and with performances like this solidifies himself as a rising star on the scene. The AoE to finish it off was straight funk. This song in particular has seen tremendous growth since its conception last fall.

Set II
Expired Slang kickoff was tight and has a rock heavy jam. The Jump Off > Jugg > Jump off is straight up obnoxious and potentially the highlight of this incredible show for me. Jump off rocks off in regular high energy fashion and blends into a mystery/spacey jam in Jugg...it is really impossible to even tell its Jugg until about 3 min. into the song. It sails back into Jump Off with what can only be described as a rawkus Rage Against the Machine like jam. Raw guitar licks and deep synth effects. The Did Fatt kept its patented tribal groove and served for a short rest...but 7 min. in the bottom drops out into some sick DnB with Steve laying shit down on drums. 12 min. explodes into heavy guitar work. Sid goes from funky beach sides tropics into just straight up funk > FlowerSermon which was just 18 min of dance party mayhem. One particular moment Mike plays a slow, but beautiful and inspirational guitar lick over the fast paced dance grooves unlike I have ever heard in this song. Hammerstrike for the closer really matched the mood of the venue (Freedom and Liberation) and served as foreshadowing for the obnoxiously dirty Hammerstrike tour to come this fall.

Overall, the show was extremely explorational. It show cased the versatility and cohesion of the band in its finest form. Sorry for the long review, but I felt it was important to articulate why this is a stand out performance instead of just flinging a thumbs up. Thanks Mike D. for an awesome review as well. There is not one part of this show that lacks energy. One other think, Scott on the light ROCKED that shit.

nothing crazy special. Dont know what the first reviewer was on, but i wouldnt bother reading that 15 page synopsis.....

ok show, nothing crazy special, but i know that everyone had a blast. great venue, excellent atmosphere. There are a few highlights to the show but it doesn't go anywhere unexplored.

This night at NLQP will for sure go down in the all-time books for Lotus fans. Magical comes to mind. Unique. Perfect. Lets add it up: 1. NLQP is the most beautiful and hospitible spot you could hope for for a midsize summertime fest. A quarry to swim in, cliffs to jump off, trees to camp in, no long walking to anything, and a true family ownership that has deep roots in ohio. 2. Perfect weather all weekend. 3. Tons of Lotus Family in full force and a very pumped and danceready crowd otherwise, as always! 4. Lotus brought the Heat 110% and never looked back. From a debatebly perfect setlist..to flawless, mature improvs/jam sections and transitions..to moments of insanity and almost industrial/heavy metal(listen to parts of micksnack and hammerstrike! Mikey is so on fire i thought his guitar was gonna turn into a demon and eat our souls!)..to straight down and dirty funk stylee.. they covered so much ground, interpreting old material in new fresh ways, with a handfull of slightly newer songs, but in a way where the entire night had a cetain feel and flow to it that was all one cohesive unit. The Playing all around was superb and imo this will truely be considered an all time great Lotus show for years to come. The Recording itself is as flawless as the show, which makes this all the more worth it. The Universe (and Bean!) was making sure this night could be enjoyed, at least vicariosly, for everyone out there who has any sense of Lotus at all. Im not kidding, this is a true must own show. The Set 1 Intro Improv set the mood for the entire night..listen and get the jist of that feel and you'll have a indication of where this is all going..which they took right into a smooth and slower Nematode, ever so slightly flubbing the transition(hey if im gonna give it a 5 and hype it up i gotta point out whatever flubs i can..when u listen i doubt youll even notice!), continuing the subtle danceparty vibe they set up, slowly building into the first signs of rage for the night before dropping back into the main theme and ending it. Then the familiar banjo sounding notes of Reich! Again continuing the slow estatic dance party as the sun was setting now..a very solid reich indeed..right into Slow Cookin'..good good version also, calm..then funky..then slowly building into the first full on electronica of the night right into Moonset!! perfection. controlled. mature. building into a deep rage at the end. Very Nice. Next Came Livingston. I gotta say they for sure were outta synch for the first 2-3 min or so, which would be this only nights blatant nonperfection, but man do they recover. First its a farily normal storm..building into this weird almost aboriginal industrial weirdness. Lukes just usuing these wicked crazy tones underneath Mikeys usual Storm tones..its really interesting. Then whats this..like 30 secs or so of some bonafide feedback/space that drops right into a Sick Sick Sick Mikesnack! Man this ones hot!! Imma just say listen to it in its entirety and tell me anyone in the scene has better tone than Mikey..and hes just on fire! Now the set closer. Age of Inexperience. I gotta say this is one of my least fav lotus songs..i lit up a cig..they got through the opening composed section..i was like halfway done with my smoke..then the jam kicked in..Holy Heaven..i was drawn right back into the danceparty blackhole of goodness all around me. Wow this jam is massive. Hasnt sold me on the beginning of the song, but at least i know theres an sick jam coming after its over!(aka Twist from Phish, heh.) All in all at least a 7/10 first set that alone deserves a listen, with moments of brilliance all over it. But here comes the kicker. Set 2 of this show may be the best single set of lotus music ever, certainly the most mature and the most descriptive of their current mood and direction, all while usuing older material to illustrte this. I cant tell you enough about this set of music. To not hear it is ear-abuse. the operner Expired slang is always welcome, not to mention its flawless and everything that song could possibly be. Then the first sandwich of the night..Jump->Jug->Jump. Wow. Intense. Perfect. This may quite simply be the best juggarnaut ever. Beyond words while it was going down..the entire crowd just synched up into one psychic dance fever organism..that finally drops back into a raging jump ending that just seals the deal. You will love this, i thought this had to be the peak of the night. Oh no no no, my friends. What we have next is the Meat of the evening. Didd Fatt!!!! Oh glory how long i been wanting to catch this..right on with the ever evolving yet coherant mood of the night..so tight..leading right into the straight up, down and dirty, make you wanna f%$#, funk of Sid!! There had been hints of the funk all night that all came to a culmination in this sid. And suddenly right in the middle they drop into this phishesqe evil circus theme for a few seconds thats just freaky as hell..very nice. Again, just perfect mature jams and tight ass grooves...that leads right into Sermon!! Which just then proceeds to take the whole night to its final peak..right where it should be at the end of the second set. Danceparty isnt the word. We need a new Term for the Physicality of what goes down at a Lotus show cause its just 5 steps above. Such a clean vibe..so many smiles..such deep funk..what a night..what a scene. Then the owner Evan of nelsons comes out and gives a nice speech real quick, ensuring future Lotus Family gateherings at the Ledges! They Encore with Hammerstrike. At first i was hoping for a wax or spiritualize encore..but after listening 4x to the recording i realize this was the perfect closer to complete and dissolve the mood of the evening and release us all to the 6 hours of latenight goodness partying that then proceded to happen. This also may be a top version of hammerstrike..with Mikey again just slaughtering his guitar on this one near the end of the jam. Side notes: Dj Harry spun between sets and if you havent seen him yet make a point to..hes just amazing and so dirty. It was so nice to just wander 30 yards between sets and have him steal your face like what. A perfect night indeed. Download this right now..you NEED to hear this one peoples! namaste.

Not every show brings the heat dance floor banger song aftr song. This shows the ability of Lotus to drop tight jams, experiment a little and musically put it on. The kind of set designed well for a festival headlining spot, not a late night rager. This is Lotus doing what they do....Quality recording.